Anyone have much experience with modern MOCA adapters, specifically the Actiontec (now Speedbeam????) ECB6250? They link up just fine but do not perform anywhere near their advertised rates - iperf3 only pulling 280Mbps in a nearly ideal test environment (direct connect with Cat5e cable hits 1000Mbps easy).
Define "ideal test". Is it 75ohm coax and in good condition? Are your splitters MoCA compatible? Are the devices the same model and are they set to use bonded channels vs a single channel? What is the device itself reporting as it's link rate? If it showing gigabit+ speeds, the issue is not with the coax link. Have you tried iperf with the "-P 10" option? If you get higher speeds on the parallel stream test, you may have an MTU issue, forcing retransmits and packet fragmentation that will reduce single stream speeds.
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
+1
LuvTheMonkeyHigh Sierra SerenadeRegistered Userregular
Anyone have much experience with modern MOCA adapters, specifically the Actiontec (now Speedbeam????) ECB6250? They link up just fine but do not perform anywhere near their advertised rates - iperf3 only pulling 280Mbps in a nearly ideal test environment (direct connect with Cat5e cable hits 1000Mbps easy).
Define "ideal test". Is it 75ohm coax and in good condition? Are your splitters MoCA compatible? Are the devices the same model and are they set to use bonded channels vs a single channel? What is the device itself reporting as it's link rate? If it showing gigabit+ speeds, the issue is not with the coax link. Have you tried iperf with the "-P 10" option? If you get higher speeds on the parallel stream test, you may have an MTU issue, forcing retransmits and packet fragmentation that will reduce single stream speeds.
The 2 MOCA adapters are identical, and they are hooked up directly with looks to be high quality coax (it's not stamped with the ohm rating but it's Amphenol T10 via a Comcast installer kit from roughly ~3 years ago). No splitters or other hardware in between. The link rate is listed in the 3000Mbps+ range in the Actiontec web UI.
I did do iperf -P 10 and got extremely close to gigabit speeds. I'm presently using this test setup in place of the Cat6 for my desktop's link to my network and Steam downloads are maxing exactly where they do on pure Ethernet, so I'm guessing your assessment of MTU interacting with iperf negatively is close to the truth.
There's an Orbi pack on sale at Costco. I'm considering it since I'm starting to get flack that our current "traditional" wifi isn't providing good enough service upstairs (don't read into it too much; it's something ongoing).
I'm currently using Netgear and like their hardware. I have a conflicting relationship with TPLink and I believe there were data security concerns with them recently(?)
This particular Orbi is the AX4200. Main hub + 2 satellites
0
Ear3nd1lEärendil the Mariner, father of ElrondRegistered Userregular
So, after 5 years of complaining about our internet service, we can finally get fiber. I don't want to rent a modem from CenturyLink and have been looking into purchasing one. I've read that you don't really need a modem since what comes into the house is an ethernet line. Is that correct? If so, can I just use my Asus RT-AC68U and not have to buy something?
0
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
So, after 5 years of complaining about our internet service, we can finally get fiber. I don't want to rent a modem from CenturyLink and have been looking into purchasing one. I've read that you don't really need a modem since what comes into the house is an ethernet line. Is that correct? If so, can I just use my Asus RT-AC68U and not have to buy something?
Maybe? Some companies just give you an Ethernet line in that you can connect anything to. Others have some weird pppoe variant. And still others require their own equipment. I would check with century Link before you buy anything, but once it's live it won't cost you anything to just plug your router in and try.
So, after 5 years of complaining about our internet service, we can finally get fiber. I don't want to rent a modem from CenturyLink and have been looking into purchasing one. I've read that you don't really need a modem since what comes into the house is an ethernet line. Is that correct? If so, can I just use my Asus RT-AC68U and not have to buy something?
My company (Allo) has my fiber line going to a modem/wifi router combo from a wall plate, so I'm guessing it's entirely on how the company you have does it.
I've got the line coming into the house and terminated at an ONT which they provide, which is fiber in, Ethernet out. They don't charge for the ONT (and I haven't heard of any provider doing this, I think cause it's not something you even could bring your own).
Anyway, I do use my own router and not even one they specifically list as supported. It needs to do PPPoE authentication to actually connect, so you need to get the username/password and configure your router, it's not plug and play.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
+2
Ear3nd1lEärendil the Mariner, father of ElrondRegistered Userregular
Thank you everyone. I'll just try plugging in my router when they do the install and see what happens. If it works, not only have I saved money but I've also saved time not having to reconnect a thousand devices to a new wifi. 😄
Thank you everyone. I'll just try plugging in my router when they do the install and see what happens. If it works, not only have I saved money but I've also saved time not having to reconnect a thousand devices to a new wifi. 😄
If you do need to use a new device to provide Wifi you can always recreate the same Wifi access point name with the same password on the new device to avoid having to reconnect your Wifi devices.
Incindium on
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
+2
Ear3nd1lEärendil the Mariner, father of ElrondRegistered Userregular
Good point, I always forget that those aren't based on a UUID or something.
So I was trying to configure my raspberry pi as a Pi Hole, but ran into an issue where the wifi modem provided by my internet carrier (Shaw, in Canada) has certain settings locked out preventing me from doing so. As such, I'm looking to buy a new wireless router and I'm wondering if anyone can make a recommendation for $100-$200. I'm quite clueless on the subject.
There are 3 people in this house that all work from home, so it needs to be able to support 3 laptops all concurrently on zoom/teams calls from different corners of the house. Is my budget realistic for this?
A $100 consumer router should handle that no problem.
If you want a specific recommendation, I recently got a TP-link Archer TX1800 which works great for a similar use case here. We have a fairly small house but the area we do have to cover gets plenty of bandwidth even in the worst wireless signal spots so I imagine it could cover a significantly larger one if it needed to.
ok here's a question for y'all: I don't want to run ethernet but I have a bit of a bad signal spot where this PC is. I have discovered the signal is good up higher on the wall behind it. Is there some sort of small wireless reciever I can attach to the wall where it's good and ethernet patch cable that to the PC?
ok here's a question for y'all: I don't want to run ethernet but I have a bit of a bad signal spot where this PC is. I have discovered the signal is good up higher on the wall behind it. Is there some sort of small wireless reciever I can attach to the wall where it's good and ethernet patch cable that to the PC?
ok here's a question for y'all: I don't want to run ethernet but I have a bit of a bad signal spot where this PC is. I have discovered the signal is good up higher on the wall behind it. Is there some sort of small wireless reciever I can attach to the wall where it's good and ethernet patch cable that to the PC?
I assume your PC already has built-in wireless with an external antenna? Then you'd just need an SMA male to SMA female coax extension cable for the antenna you already use to relocate the antenna. Buy it in whatever length you need. $10-$15 on amazon.
SiliconStew on
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
I think this is the right place for it - does anyone have any recommendations for a NAS? After a hard drive failure I really want some more secure home based storage.
My family use windows machines if it makes any difference.
In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony god’s blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my intelligence.
I used old PC hardware to make a FreeNAS machine but I know that's not a typical setup. Both Synology and QNAP have their supporters but either one will work just fine as a standalone solution.
I'm pretty sure there's a way to use a RaspberryPi to build one but I haven't gone down that road
0
OrcaAlso known as EspressosaurusWrexRegistered Userregular
Synology has been a good-but-expensive option for me, but some of their moves around drive support in their XS models make me concerned they’re going to do the same for their less pro models at some point.
SHR is the killer app for me, but again, Synology is expensive.
Once upon a time Windows Home Server might have been a good match for your needs but that product is as far as I know dead.
0
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
I was just playing with someone's Windows Home Server 2011 last week! Still alive and kicking!
I think this is the right place for it - does anyone have any recommendations for a NAS? After a hard drive failure I really want some more secure home based storage.
My family use windows machines if it makes any difference.
My Synology DS718+ has been rock solid for years, absolutely no issues and it's regularly used for streaming media across my network. Works really easily with Windows/Mac/iPhone/AppleTV. What I'd recommend is buying one with more bays than you think you'd need since you don't have to fill it up but you can't (cheaply) add more bays to a full one.
The thing is though hard drives also fail in NASs. A NAS on your local network isn't exactly a backup since it's susceptible to a lot of the same problems as your computer (power cutting out suddenly, your house getting damaged by fire/flooding etc, ransomware on your local network) so ideally if you're looking to backup valuable things such as irreplaceable documents, family photos etc on the cloud and in cold storage (this might be overkill for your use case, but I'd feel irresponsible not mentioning it). You can set up your Synology to copy to whatever cloud solution you like pretty easily but it's important to do it because they're still computers that can break.
I'd also recommend picking up a small UPS to hook your NAS up to in case of power outages. The way the Synology works is that if your power cuts out, it'll detect that it's drawing power from the UPS instead of the NAS and turn itself off safely instead of shutting off abruptly and potentially damaging your hard drives. Absolutely worth the money if you're already dropping cash on a NAS.
We are finishing a kitchen reno, and our main router (with wifi) currently sits on the fridge because that's the central location for the house.
I'm getting "pressure" to relocate the router, plus I'd like to use the opportunity to move to some Unifi APs and disable wifi on the router (I can then relocate the router)
I consistently get mixed info about what I need to set up and run Unifi APs at home (i.e. do I need a Cloudkey or not? Do I set them up via a laptop or through the network? Etc. )
Are there any guides or YT vids I can use?
Conversely, I'm open to a mesh system. I know that Orbi isn't well regarded but Netgear hardware has served me well over the years. I don't want TPLink and I'm wary about Cisco/Linksys.
We are finishing a kitchen reno, and our main router (with wifi) currently sits on the fridge because that's the central location for the house.
I'm getting "pressure" to relocate the router, plus I'd like to use the opportunity to move to some Unifi APs and disable wifi on the router (I can then relocate the router)
I consistently get mixed info about what I need to set up and run Unifi APs at home (i.e. do I need a Cloudkey or not? Do I set them up via a laptop or through the network? Etc. )
Are there any guides or YT vids I can use?
Conversely, I'm open to a mesh system. I know that Orbi isn't well regarded but Netgear hardware has served me well over the years. I don't want TPLink and I'm wary about Cisco/Linksys.
You can use their mobile app to configure an AP directly for simple installs. You can run their free controller software on your PC to manage all APs on your network. This does not need to be running all the time, unless you are interested in statistics, you only need to fire it up to make changes.
You do not need a CloudKey for anything. CloudKey is just a tiny computer to run that same controller software if you didn't have a PC available.
UniFi APs will do meshing.
Any search for "UniFi AP setup" should get you plenty of walkthrough vids.
Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
I'm already planning a second but I want to get the first one in. I may make the second one a Wifi 6 AP
0
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
I wouldn't mix and match. It would probably be fine, but I'd bet a few bucks that smarthome devices and older stuff will not like switching between the two formats. 802.11ax pisses a lot of networked gear off.
Unifi AP should arrive today. Can someone please confirm my thinking for my network:
My RPi/PiHole handles DNS and DHCP.
If that's the case, then my current Netflix NetGEAR router/wifi is really just an expensive AP. Which then means I can completely eliminate it from my network once the Unifi AP(s) go in. Am I forgetting something stupid that the router still does? At the least, I can relocate the router to the basement once the AP(s) take over wifi handling.
Moved into our new place. We paid for the wiring panel in the garage, however it's a nightmare mess already. The installer put little ID tags on the lines but they are hard to read and are near the top, so trying to trace which line end up where is kind of a nightmare. Any suggestions or tips? Any organizers that folks use?
Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
0
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
edited March 2022
That's annoying, but does it matter too much? Like.. dude should have known better, but if you throw a network switch in that panel and plug all the lines in you'll be rocking.
Otherwise, you're probably looking at an Ethernet trace and toner which typically run $100-150.
Edit: also, did the dude not put them all into a punch down block? Really?
Going to grab those labels. The main issue is there are maybe 15 lines that as they come down in a bunch are all sort of twisted together, making it a nightmare to figure out which is which. They threw a netgear switch in there, but it's some newer thing with half the ports having POE? The fact it didn't have a dedicated line in, confused me for a couple minutes haha.
Anyone use a wireless intercom system? We just need something small that we can put in 5 different rooms. I'd like encrypted as well, but seems those are non-existent.
Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
0
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
Going to grab those labels. The main issue is there are maybe 15 lines that as they come down in a bunch are all sort of twisted together, making it a nightmare to figure out which is which. They threw a netgear switch in there, but it's some newer thing with half the ports having POE? The fact it didn't have a dedicated line in, confused me for a couple minutes haha.
Switches don't have dedicated in ports, they just cross communicate and it's all fine. Also @Mugsley I've never seen one that cheap, awesome. Added to cart.
Wireless intercoms aren't really a thing. You could do an IP phone system? That's maybe as close as they come anymore.
Going to grab those labels. The main issue is there are maybe 15 lines that as they come down in a bunch are all sort of twisted together, making it a nightmare to figure out which is which. They threw a netgear switch in there, but it's some newer thing with half the ports having POE? The fact it didn't have a dedicated line in, confused me for a couple minutes haha.
Switches don't have dedicated in ports, they just cross communicate and it's all fine. Also @Mugsley I've never seen one that cheap, awesome. Added to cart.
Wireless intercoms aren't really a thing. You could do an IP phone system? That's maybe as close as they come anymore.
Yeah I had one that came with a termination tool as a kit. There's nothing to them so it's good that they dropped in price. For residential you don't need anything crazy.
Klein has one for around $30 that's the next tier up but is overkill for non-business jobs.
Posts
Define "ideal test". Is it 75ohm coax and in good condition? Are your splitters MoCA compatible? Are the devices the same model and are they set to use bonded channels vs a single channel? What is the device itself reporting as it's link rate? If it showing gigabit+ speeds, the issue is not with the coax link. Have you tried iperf with the "-P 10" option? If you get higher speeds on the parallel stream test, you may have an MTU issue, forcing retransmits and packet fragmentation that will reduce single stream speeds.
The 2 MOCA adapters are identical, and they are hooked up directly with looks to be high quality coax (it's not stamped with the ohm rating but it's Amphenol T10 via a Comcast installer kit from roughly ~3 years ago). No splitters or other hardware in between. The link rate is listed in the 3000Mbps+ range in the Actiontec web UI.
I did do iperf -P 10 and got extremely close to gigabit speeds. I'm presently using this test setup in place of the Cat6 for my desktop's link to my network and Steam downloads are maxing exactly where they do on pure Ethernet, so I'm guessing your assessment of MTU interacting with iperf negatively is close to the truth.
I'm currently using Netgear and like their hardware. I have a conflicting relationship with TPLink and I believe there were data security concerns with them recently(?)
This particular Orbi is the AX4200. Main hub + 2 satellites
Maybe? Some companies just give you an Ethernet line in that you can connect anything to. Others have some weird pppoe variant. And still others require their own equipment. I would check with century Link before you buy anything, but once it's live it won't cost you anything to just plug your router in and try.
My company (Allo) has my fiber line going to a modem/wifi router combo from a wall plate, so I'm guessing it's entirely on how the company you have does it.
I've got the line coming into the house and terminated at an ONT which they provide, which is fiber in, Ethernet out. They don't charge for the ONT (and I haven't heard of any provider doing this, I think cause it's not something you even could bring your own).
Anyway, I do use my own router and not even one they specifically list as supported. It needs to do PPPoE authentication to actually connect, so you need to get the username/password and configure your router, it's not plug and play.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
If you do need to use a new device to provide Wifi you can always recreate the same Wifi access point name with the same password on the new device to avoid having to reconnect your Wifi devices.
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
There are 3 people in this house that all work from home, so it needs to be able to support 3 laptops all concurrently on zoom/teams calls from different corners of the house. Is my budget realistic for this?
Thanks in advance
If you want a specific recommendation, I recently got a TP-link Archer TX1800 which works great for a similar use case here. We have a fairly small house but the area we do have to cover gets plenty of bandwidth even in the worst wireless signal spots so I imagine it could cover a significantly larger one if it needed to.
You can use a USB dongle on a longer cable.
You could possibly try MoCA adapters too
I assume your PC already has built-in wireless with an external antenna? Then you'd just need an SMA male to SMA female coax extension cable for the antenna you already use to relocate the antenna. Buy it in whatever length you need. $10-$15 on amazon.
My family use windows machines if it makes any difference.
I'm pretty sure there's a way to use a RaspberryPi to build one but I haven't gone down that road
SHR is the killer app for me, but again, Synology is expensive.
Once upon a time Windows Home Server might have been a good match for your needs but that product is as far as I know dead.
I don't recommend that though.
My Synology DS718+ has been rock solid for years, absolutely no issues and it's regularly used for streaming media across my network. Works really easily with Windows/Mac/iPhone/AppleTV. What I'd recommend is buying one with more bays than you think you'd need since you don't have to fill it up but you can't (cheaply) add more bays to a full one.
The thing is though hard drives also fail in NASs. A NAS on your local network isn't exactly a backup since it's susceptible to a lot of the same problems as your computer (power cutting out suddenly, your house getting damaged by fire/flooding etc, ransomware on your local network) so ideally if you're looking to backup valuable things such as irreplaceable documents, family photos etc on the cloud and in cold storage (this might be overkill for your use case, but I'd feel irresponsible not mentioning it). You can set up your Synology to copy to whatever cloud solution you like pretty easily but it's important to do it because they're still computers that can break.
I'd also recommend picking up a small UPS to hook your NAS up to in case of power outages. The way the Synology works is that if your power cuts out, it'll detect that it's drawing power from the UPS instead of the NAS and turn itself off safely instead of shutting off abruptly and potentially damaging your hard drives. Absolutely worth the money if you're already dropping cash on a NAS.
I'm getting "pressure" to relocate the router, plus I'd like to use the opportunity to move to some Unifi APs and disable wifi on the router (I can then relocate the router)
I consistently get mixed info about what I need to set up and run Unifi APs at home (i.e. do I need a Cloudkey or not? Do I set them up via a laptop or through the network? Etc. )
Are there any guides or YT vids I can use?
Conversely, I'm open to a mesh system. I know that Orbi isn't well regarded but Netgear hardware has served me well over the years. I don't want TPLink and I'm wary about Cisco/Linksys.
You can use their mobile app to configure an AP directly for simple installs. You can run their free controller software on your PC to manage all APs on your network. This does not need to be running all the time, unless you are interested in statistics, you only need to fire it up to make changes.
You do not need a CloudKey for anything. CloudKey is just a tiny computer to run that same controller software if you didn't have a PC available.
UniFi APs will do meshing.
Any search for "UniFi AP setup" should get you plenty of walkthrough vids.
Question: are these APs more powerful than integrated router antennas? I'm trying to think ahead if I'll need a second AP
My RPi/PiHole handles DNS and DHCP.
If that's the case, then my current Netflix NetGEAR router/wifi is really just an expensive AP. Which then means I can completely eliminate it from my network once the Unifi AP(s) go in. Am I forgetting something stupid that the router still does? At the least, I can relocate the router to the basement once the AP(s) take over wifi handling.
Otherwise, you're probably looking at an Ethernet trace and toner which typically run $100-150.
Edit: also, did the dude not put them all into a punch down block? Really?
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01M63EMBQ/
And some of these
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08MJRFB42/
And a free afternoon
Switches don't have dedicated in ports, they just cross communicate and it's all fine. Also @Mugsley I've never seen one that cheap, awesome. Added to cart.
Wireless intercoms aren't really a thing. You could do an IP phone system? That's maybe as close as they come anymore.
Yeah I had one that came with a termination tool as a kit. There's nothing to them so it's good that they dropped in price. For residential you don't need anything crazy.
Klein has one for around $30 that's the next tier up but is overkill for non-business jobs.